


Sleep Maneuvers

by Rosie_White



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Humor, Mild Language, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-04 00:17:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2901164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosie_White/pseuds/Rosie_White
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: Love means sharing, but when your partner is a mutant turtle, sharing a bed takes on a whole new meaning. Snoring, blanket theft, restless sleepers. Just an average night in the lair for the boys and their significant others. </p>
<p>Written for the TMNT Mini Big Bang.  Sequel/possible spoilers for Chance Encounters universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleep Maneuvers

**Author's Note:**

> Summary: Love means sharing, but when your partner is a mutant turtle, sharing a bed takes on a whole new meaning. Snoring, blanket theft, restless sleepers. Just an average night in the lair for the boys and their significant others.
> 
> Rating: PG-13
> 
>  
> 
> Universe: 2007 movie/some 2k3 toon
> 
> Tags/Warnings: Romance, Friendship, Original Characters
> 
> Author: Rosie White aka rosieramblings on Tumblr
> 
> Artist: Sawa

 

***

 

 

Leonardo stood by the bed, facing Emmerson. Both were crossed arms and narrowed eyes. This was serious; an enemy to be defeated.

 

“Are you ready to try this again?” Leonardo asked her.

 

“Affirmative,” Emmerson replied, face stoic.

 

“You locked all the weapons away like I asked?”

 

“Of course. And you added an extra meditation to your routine before bed?”

 

“Per our earlier discussion, I did.”

 

“The sofa is set up.” Emmerson gestured to the smaller pull out sofa in a corner of the room, bed made up. “Just in case.”

 

A soft smile spread across Leonardo’s face. He pulled Emmerson closer in his arms, giving her a quick peck on the lips. One of his fingers stroked the strap of her tank top.

 

“I hope we won’t need the sofa this time. It’d be nice to not have to rely on it for once.”

 

Emmerson kissed his cheek.   “I hope so too.” She hesitated. “But, we both agreed, this will be the last time?”

 

“Yes,” Leonardo said. “Doesn’t make sense to keep doing the same thing over and over again.” He cupped her cheek before finally making his way to the bed. “I’m happy you’re even willing to try again.”

 

“Always.” One final kiss to his cheek and they settled into the bed, making themselves comfortable.

 

***

 

The clock read 2:04 am when he finally came to his senses. Emmerson’s voice broke through his subconscious, tearing him back into reality. It wasn’t a Purple Dragon pinned under him. There was no knife held to his throat, no brothers calling out for him. Emmerson gasped for air, pushing at his plastron. Leonardo’s hands were clamped down on her shoulders. He threw himself off her like lightning. He stood, pacing, willing his heart rate to decrease. Again. It had happened _again._

 

Emmerson tried to catch her breath. It wasn’t a criminal who was crushing her. It wasn’t a perp holding a gun to her head as she thrashed beneath them. It was Leo, _her_ Leo, who didn’t know what he was doing in his sleep. What a deadly combination they were.

 

Her eyes followed him for a few moments. They’d done this before, this same routine. Wait for him to float back, to make his way back to the reality and not the place of nightmares.

“Are you okay?” Emmerson was quiet.

 

Leonardo shook his head, sitting next to her on the bed. “No. Far from it, actually.” He held his head in his hands. “I’m sorry, Emmerson. I thought, with everything else we’d done--,”.

 

“Shut up, Leo.” Deadpan. “We both knew this was a possibility. At least this time, I didn’t pull a gun and your swords weren’t nearby.”

 

“Ah, yes,” Leonardo said. “Let’s be very thankful that weapons were not close by when I was able to _pin you to the bed and was reaching for your throat._ ”

 

“Hey.” Emmerson touched his shoulder, face serious. “I’ve done it before too. Remember, the night with the lamp? And how Donny had to give you those stitches?”   Leonardo met her gaze. “You’re not the only one who has trouble sleeping. I see the perps, the ones who’ve come close to ending it for me.”   She grasped his hand. “I see the girl who jumped off a bridge because the conviction didn’t come through for her rape. I fall with her, every night.”

 

A quiet moment passed and Leonardo rubbed her back, kissing her forehead. “I forget sometimes.”

 

“Well, stop forgetting.” Her lips pressed against his shoulder. “I’ll take the sofa. Get settled so we can both catch some shut eye.”

 

Leonardo caught her arm.

 

“I don’t know what I’d do without you.” The words all fell out at once. “It means so much that you’re here with me, despite everything.”

 

If there were a normal conversation between the two of them, Emmerson would roll her eyes. She would shove him away, telling him _“Of course I mean that much to you. I’m the only one brave enough to put up with your crap.”_ But she stayed silent this time. This was something that needed to be said, something that had to come out.

 

He took a breath. “I wish that this one part of my life could be normal. It’s something so simple, sharing a bed with someone you love.”

 

Emmerson leaned forward between them, closing the small gap with a chaste kiss. She pulled away again, her lips against his cheek in a whisper. “At least there are some normal couple things we can do in bed that don’t necessarily involve sleeping.”

 

Leonardo laughed, the motion brightening up his face in the solemn moment. “Of course. How could I forget that.” His weight lifted from the bed. “I’ll take the sofa this time. It’s the least I can do.”

 

“Damn straight,” Emmerson agreed with a smile. She settled back onto the bed. “One favor to ask, though. You mind moving the sofa closer?”

Leonardo gave her odd look but did as asked, shifting the bed closer. He lay on the sofa, adjusting himself until he was comfortable. A hand appeared suddenly in his line of vision.

 

“Take it, please.” Emmerson rolled over to face him, smiling. Leonardo took her hand, narrowing his eyes in confusion. “This is a normal couple thing. Holding hands. We can do this from now on, since we can’t do the other thing.”

 

“Excellent idea.” He squeezed her hand, giving her a soft smile.

 

Both drifted to sleep minutes later, hands still clasped.

 

***

 

Lily threw a leg onto the base of the bed, torso facing forward. She raised her left arm high, shifting her waist while keeping her hip steady as she bent over her leg with her arm, stretching. After a moment, she stopped, lifting her leg off the bed and bending forward. She could sense a familiar presence watching her.

 

“It’s not a show,” she said to Michelangelo, standing straight now. She rolled her neck, working out a few kinks. “It’s a necessary part of any dancer’s routine.”

 

“Looks like a show to me.” Mikey flashed her a grin, walking over from the bed. Green arms went around Lily’s waist, pulling her back against his hard plastron. He nuzzled her neck, laying a kiss here and there. “Any chance you might want to practice a few special stretch moves before bed?” Mikey’s hand lowered, lingering at the waist band of her pajama pants.

 

She shook her head, pushing against him and moving away to face him. “No. I have a monthly visitor this week.”

 

“Damn.” Mikey’s face fell.

 

Lily only shrugged, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “There will be other weeks. There are three others during the month in which we don’t have to worry about it being an issue.”

 

“Fine. You’re right.” Mikey heaved a dramatic sigh, climbing into the bed. “Guess we’ll sleep tonight.”

 

Lily ignored him in favor of situating her pillows on the right side of the bed; one horizontal, the other on a slight angle, tilting left. She took a pink blanket from her duffle bag, smoothing it on top of the covers before climbing in next to Mikey. He grabbed the blanket, bringing it closer to cover him. Lily narrowed her eyes at him, swatting his hand.

 

“Mine.”

 

Familiar puppy dog eyes followed Lily as she turned over in the bed, facing away from Mikey. Again, his arms surrounded her waist, pulling her back against him. Kisses rained down the back of her neck. She pushed against him, annoyed. “ _How_ many times do I have to say it?”

 

“What did I say about sex?” He murmured against her neck. “I want to hold you. Do I need permission for that?”

 

A soft smile stretched across her face and she relaxed into his arms, eyes slipping closed. “No. Not this time, at least.”

 

***

 

The red glare of 3:10am shone brightly in Lily’s eyes when she woke up, shivering. Still thick with sleep, she reached for the blankets that usually covered her. Nothing. She sat up in bed, willing her eyes open and reached again. Perhaps they had fallen down the side? Nothing. Again.

 

Lily frowned and blinked, eyes finally adjusting to the dark. Her eyes fell on the large, multi colored lump on her left. Mikey. Of course. She could make out the deep pink of her blanket wrapped around his body, along with every other blanket. She tugged on the cocoon surrounding him. No movement. They were wrapped too tightly around him.

 

“Mikey,” she whispered, touching his shoulder. The turtle only snored, flopping over on his right taking the blankets even further away. Irritation flowed through her. It was getting colder by the minute.

 

“Mikey.” She spoke in a normal tone now. He didn’t move an inch. Frantically, Lily gathered a handful of the blankets and tugged as hard as she could. One measly corner came loose. A sound of frustration tore from her throat.

 

She cuddled closer to Mikey, pressing against him for warmth. Damn it if he wasn’t cold to the touch. Lily sat up again, fingers pressed along the bottom of the mattress to find the top sheet. She jerked on it, a small bit coming loose. Mikey rolled again, taking the rest of the top sheet with him.

 

Lily willed herself not to scream, so as to avoid waking the entire lair. Instead, she yanked on the fitted sheet, fighting it to get a small portion of it over her body. The elastic stretched thin and because of the massive weight beside her, it pulled tautly across her body.

 

Finally with some measure of cover, Lily lay back down on the bed. Her head hit the bare mattress of the bed, rather than the pillows that had been so meticulously arranged. She turned her head quickly to the side. Her pillows were burrowed beneath Mikey, his face smashed into them as he snored softly.

 

Lily stared at the ceiling as the hours ticked by. The damn turtle she loved, irritatingly so, snored beside her, totally unaware of his disruptions.

 

***

 

Luciana walked into Raphael’s room, dark hair damp and her body covered in a towel. The turtle in question watched from the bed, giving a low whistle of appreciation. Luciana met his eyes in the mirror, grinning.

 

“You seeing something you like, mister?”

 

“Always.” Raphael cracked his knuckles in response, eyes roaming her body.

 

Luciana tugged the hairbrush through her hair, shaking her head. “Never satisfied, are we?”

 

“We don’t get to be alone too often.” Raphael paused, thinking for a moment. “How was Tali tonight when you dropped her off anyway?”

 

“Fine,” Luciana said in response. “She’s known the other kid for ages. Good family, decent neighborhood.”

 

“You meet the parents?” Raphael’s voice betrayed a small bit of worry.

 

Luciana fought the urge to roll her eyes. It always like this with him, whenever Tali was away. As if she hadn’t managed to successfully mother her own child for the last seven years of her existence. “Yes, of course. What do you take me for, _una idiota_?”

 

“When the hell did I say that? I’m only asking cause you’ve gotta remember the last time there was a sleepover.” His eyes shifted to the backpack on the floor. “You got your cell phone on, right? In case she calls and you gotta go get her?”

 

“ _Yes,_ ” her teeth gritted, eyes glaring at his mirror image. “I’m fully prepared to go get her if she needs me.”

 

“And she has Ellie, the pink elephant with her, right? That’s her favorite.”

 

Luciana whirled to face him, wielding her hairbrush like a weapon. “Believe it or not, I was caring for Tali long before you came into the picture.”

 

Raphael rolled his eyes in response. “I _know._ But we _both_ know how she can be.”

 

“Correction.” The brush wagged in her hand with each word. “I know how she is because _I am her mother._ ” Luciana faced the mirror again, tugging her brush through her hair in anger. They had this discussion so many times before. Luciana _loved_ that Raphael cared so much for her daughter. She only wished he would stop the constant nagging on her skills as a parent.

 

Raphael stood from bed, watching Luciana stew in anger. He pulled lightly on the towel. Luciana scowled at him, smacking his hand away.

 

“You must be full of crap, thinking you can say that stuff and get some,” she growled.

 

Raphael only smirked at her, reaching to tug on the towel again. This time the hairbrush connected with his hand with a loud _smack._ He hissed, cradling his hand.

 

“Jesus! What the hell? I just wanna see you, TA. Is that so hard to ask?”

 

Luciana ignored him, holding a section of her hair as the brush passed through it, like it had never been used as a weapon. Raphael took the brush from her hands, flinging it in the direction of his bed. She snarled at him. Taking advantage of his position, Raphael pushed her against the dresser, one finger hanging on the edge of the towel above her breasts.  

 

“Come on.” Raphael dipped a finger into her cleavage, enjoying the defiant look in her eyes. “Smile for me. You can’t stay mad at this forever.” He tilted his head, running his tongue down the side of Luciana’s neck.

 

“I can try.” Luciana’s control was wavering as Raphael continued the assault on her neck. “You’re such an ass.”

 

“And you wouldn’t have me any other way,” he murmured against her skin. His tongue skimmed the tops of her breasts.

 

Luciana moaned, arching into him. “I hate the way you negotiate.” A small smile graced her lips. “I’m supposed to be surrendering right now, aren’t I?”

 

“That’s how this usually works.” Raphael gripped a corner of the towel, giving it a small yank. A corner came loose. He pulled away from her, smirking. “This is coming off. Now.”

 

Luciana slipped her arms around his neck, managing a small laugh. “Fine. Go ahead, if you insist.”

 

The towel came undone and was tossed into a corner. Raphael looked her up and down.

 

“As always, living up to your nickname, Tits and Ass.”

 

“Shut up,” Luciana said, tugging him closer and kissing him. “You need to learn how to stop talking.”

 

***

 

Luciana didn’t believe the clock was showing 1:23am when she woke up. There was some ungodly noise in her room. She sat up, half asleep, climbing out of bed because clearly Tali must need her if there was a noise this loud in their apartment. It was then she registered the familiarity of the sound and how close it was to her. Her arm crept up behind her and she felt the recognizable coolness of a plastron. She remembered suddenly she was in the lair and Tali was safe and sound at a sleepover.   _Raphael._

_Oh God, it’s happening again._

He was snoring. Again. Luciana wrenched the pillow out from beneath her and put it over her ear in a futile attempt to block the sound. It was worse than a saw. It was possibly worse than listening to nails on a chalkboard over and over and _over_ again. The sound only bled through the pillow, only slightly muffled. She groaned, tossing the pillow back under her head. Luciana plugged her ears in last ditch effort to lessen the sound of snoring. The sound was more muffled this time but still broke through in intervals. In some ways, it seemed to only echo the sound and now she was even _feeling_ the vibrations through the bed.

 

She reached over, nudging his shoulder in an attempt to wake him. The turtle continued to snore, oblivious to the chaos coming from his mouth. Luciana growled in annoyance, shifting closer to the turtle.

 

“Raphael,” she whispered. Snores only emitted from his mouth. She put a hand on his shoulder again, shaking him as hard as she could, his name falling from her lips loudly this time. Nothing. Still.

 

“If you won’t wake up, you big dummy...” Luciana placed a hand over his mouth, waiting. Desperate times called for desperate measures, after all.

 

Within seconds, Raphael was awake, gasping for air. He thrashed away from her, eyes wide and disbelieving.

 

“What the _hell_ Luci?! Are you trying to kill me?!”

 

“You were snoring, genius. _Again._ ” Luciana lied back down on the bed, glaring at him. “I was woken up by all the noise you managed to produce.”

 

“How many times? How many times do I have to tell you I don’t freaking snore?”

 

“When I stopped hearing it,” Luciana snapped, turning away from him. “Why aren’t you using the snore strips I bought you? I even got you the larger sizes!”

 

“Cause I don’t _need them._ God, Luci.” Raphael turned over, causing the whole bed to shake.

 

She kicked at his massive form behind her. “Fine. Whatever you say. Just shut up so I can get back to sleep before you start up again with the damn chain saw.”

 

“I don’t freaking snore,” Raphael grumbled, before falling silent.

 

Luciana made herself comfortable as her eyes slid closed.

 

Snoring. Again. And twice as loud.

 

She pulled the pillow over her face and screamed into it.

 

***

 

Papers were sprawled across the bed and Rebecca sat in the midst of them, one pen clutched in her teeth, and another, this one red, clutched in her hand, marking a page. Her hair was thrown up in a messy bun and a tshirt and shorts served as her makeshift pajamas.

 

Donatello came in, closing the door behind him. He stared, confused, at the sight of his significant other.

 

“Becca, what are you doing?”

 

She answered, her answer unintelligible due to the pen still housed between her teeth. Donatello rolled his eyes. He walked over to the bed and gently tugged the pen out of her mouth. Rebecca blinked up at him in surprise.

 

“What are you doing?” He repeated, eyeing her.

 

“Grading,” Rebecca explained, holding up a few pieces of paper. “They’re papers for the freshman composition class I’m teaching his year.”

 

Donatello sat on the bed next to her, shifting through a few of the pages already marked. “They look like they’re bleeding.”

 

“They should,” she said. “They’re awful. Like this one.” She held one in her hands, reading aloud. “ ‘Romeo was in deep shit. Killing your gf’s cousin is bad news.’ ”   Rebecca sighed, falling back onto the bed. “They didn’t spell out girlfriends. They used chat speak.”

 

Donatello chuckled, shifting closer to her, kissing her cheek. “I’m sure they’ll get better over the semester.”

 

“We can only hope at this point.” Rebecca shook her head, looking up at him curiously. “What were you up to today? I saw a couple electronic things out on your work table when I got here. Thought it might be that blue tooth thing you mentioned.”

 

A look of shock crossed Donatello’s face at the question. Her nose scrunched up as she studied his face. “What? Did I say something wrong about it?”

 

“No,” he said. “It’s. Just. You haven’t asked about my work in awhile.”

 

Red flushed Rebecca’s cheeks. “You’re right.” Her hands twisted in her lap, wrinkling the pages there. “It has been awhile. I’m. Well, I’m trying to remember to ask.”

Donatello’s brown eyes softened. A green hand reached out, caressing Rebecca’s cheek, and he leaned in, meeting her lips in a soft but chaste kiss. He pulled away just as quickly, tugging a piece of hair that had fallen from her bun.

 

“How about I show you in the morning? We both need to get some shut eye.”

 

She nodded, cleaning up the papers of the bed. They settled into bed and Donatello clicked the lamp off next to his side.   Her head lay on his shoulder as the room was plunged into darkness. A minute of silence passed.

 

“I missed you,” she whispered suddenly.

 

His hand reached for hers under the covers and he gave it a quick squeeze.

 

“I missed you too.”

 

***

 

It was 4:25am in the morning. Or so the green light of the bedside clock told Rebecca when she woke. Pain, awful pain was shooting up from her arm. Her left arm seemed to be the only one responding to commands and she pushed back, trying to get away from whatever was causing her pain. Within seconds, Rebecca realized she was pushed up against the wall next to the bed. Her eyes widened and she tugged, frantic, trying to get a hold of her right arm next to her. It would not budge.

 

_Crap,_ she thought. _Not again._

Rebecca’s free arm flailed out again, hitting a solid form beside her. Donatello was rolled against her, his large shell pressing her right arm into the mattress. No snores came from his form but Rebecca could immediately tell from his breathing he was in a deep sleep.

 

She growled, beginning the usual process of thumping on his shell with her free hand. It took several minutes but the turtle shifted away from her, rolling off her right arm, not once waking. Rebecca cradled her hand and turned over to face the wall, sighing. Her feet kicked at his legs in a motion to get him to move further away from her in the small, double bed.

 

Donatello now flopped and flipped violently, shaking the bed, Rebecca moving with him each and every time. Finally, the purple clad turtle was still for several moments. She closed her eyes, grateful for the peace.

 

The turtle rolled again and this time pushed her entire body into the wall.

 

Rebecca snarled again and started the process all over again, kicking and shoving.

 

***

 

The four women sat, silent, at the kitchen table the next morning, yawning and staring at each other, cups of tea and coffee clutched in their hands.

 

Luciana was the first to finally speak. “Did you all sleep like crap last night too?”

 

“Nightmares,” Emmerson murmured, looking off into space. “We had to keep fighting off nightmares.”

 

“Blanket hog,” Lily grumbled, taking a sip of tea. “I froze to death all night.”

 

Rebecca cradled her right arm, her wrist swollen. “I think Don sprained my wrist. Again. Even after we both agreed he needs to lay a specific way so he doesn’t _smash me_.”

 

“I got you all beat,” said Luciana. “Snoring. The snoring is horrible.”

 

“Who knew?” Rebecca said. She smashed her head into the table. “Who knew sleeping with mutant turtles was going to be such a disaster?”

 

Almost on cue, the boys floated in from the dojo, sweat dripping down their arms.

 

“Great practice, guys!” Leonardo said, pecking Emmerson on the cheek.

 

“Yes, it was great. I slept like a _log_ last night,” Michelangelo said, grabbing Lily’s abandoned piece of toast. He consumed it quickly. “I was cozy.”

 

“Another great night of sleep.” Donatello fiddled with a tablet in his hands, sitting down next to Rebecca. “Really gets the juices flowing.”

Luciana glared at the four turtles surrounding them in disbelief. “ _Tortugas idiota_ ,” she growled. She took a bite of her cereal, her eyes never wavering in their glare. Michelangelo blinked in confusion, glancing to Raphael in confusion. “Dude, what did she say this time?” Raphael smirked, pouring himself a bowl of cereal. “Idiot turtles. She thinks we’re idiots.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                        


End file.
